


Let's Go Loftwings

by duality_of_toad



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Punk Rock Revali, Quarterback Link, idiots to lovers, mascot au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29360868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duality_of_toad/pseuds/duality_of_toad
Summary: With every penny of his tuition hanging on a thin thread, Revali agrees to be Hyrule University's team mascot. It's not a bad deal, all things considered. Except, only when it comes to a certain blonde player who seems dead set on complicating Revali's simple college life. And as he finds himself cheering louder and louder, he realizes he must do anything he can to keep his identity secret.Meanwhile, Mipha is struggling. Her new roommate is mean, Hyrule University is big, and her personal life is in shambles. But, maybe matching with this very pretty girl on a dating app means her life will soon start looking up.......Probably not. But who knows?
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda), Mipha/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

Revali couldn’t help but feel the staring eyes of his peers as he wheeled his cart through the doors of his dormitory. He stood out from the haughty, privileged crowd that surrounded him; what with his grunge aesthetic and dyed blue hair. People wondered why he ended up at Hyrule University, and honestly? So did he. Sure, it was the nearest college to his small village but still. Despite his many differences from the rest of his classmates, he’d somehow survived his freshman year. It came as a surprise to everyone when he announced he was staying in it for the long haul. Go figure. 

He wheeled his stuff down the hall to his room on the first floor, 117. He could hear his parents, Teba and Saki, chatting behind him down the hall as they lugged the last of his bags that didn’t fit on the cart. Ever a sharp ear, he noticed Tulin not far behind; footsteps echoing through the hall as he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. Revali stifled a laugh. Unlocking the door, he welcomed himself into his new dorm for his sophomore year. 

Kitchen to the left, hall to the two bedrooms on the right, living room to the center. Simple enough. Revali struggled to get his cart through the door, as it banged loudly against the frame. He hoped his new roommate wasn’t already there, much less asleep. If that were the case, Revali could almost guarantee he wouldn’t be sleeping much longer, as Saki eagerly ran into his new room.

“I can put my own stuff away, you know,” Revali said, dragging one of the many totes down the hall for Saki to go through. She waved him off and immediately took the tote. She was already sitting down on the floor and putting the clothes away in the drawers faster than he ever could. He did appreciate her doing this for him, despite his thousands of complaints. He felt a clap on his back.

“Come on, Rev. We only have two more years before you’re on your own, let your mom have this,” Teba said, wrapping his son into an odd half-hug. Revali rolled his eyes, while he returned the hug. They hadn’t adopted him too long ago, and he was currently their oldest, so this college stuff was a whole new territory for them. Saki was loving every moment of it. She had finished putting away his clothes and was onto unloading his old archery trophies, lining them up perfectly for showing off to anyone who entered his room. Of course, if she hadn’t done that, he would have done it himself. Some of his proudest memories were stored in those several trophies now crowding his desk. The only thing left was his Great Eagle Bow, and Saki was already trying to climb onto his desk to mount it. 

“Oh honey, let me help you!” Teba flew forward to help his wife before she fell over. Revali watched smiling until he felt a small tug on his pant leg. Tulin stood there, both hands outstretched begging to be picked up. Revali lifted him up, tucking his arm under his butt for support as the seven-year-old held an iron grip around his neck. Sure, he loved his younger brother, but he loved being able to breathe a tad more. 

“Are you gonna come home soon?” Tulin asked, his face mere inches away from his brother’s. Revali grimaced, feeling how wet with spit his ear was, and patted the kid’s back softly. 

“Of course, haven’t you seen my schedule by now?” 

Tulin shook his head, and Revali wondered if the kid even knew what the word “schedule” meant. He held his younger brother at arm’s length, staring at him like some weird creature. His Hispanic tan was starting to come through the more he spent time outside, and he actually looked related to Saki and Revali now. Funny how Revali was the adopted one, yet the only one who didn’t look related was Teba. The only clue that Tulin had to prove he was Teba’s kid was his pure white bowl cut growing in. He smiled, multiple baby teeth growing in various gaps. He was lucky he was cute because Revali usually hated kids. Or was it just the other foster kids? He didn’t know. 

“There!” His parents finally hung his prized bow on the wall, along with a few unfortunate dents. If Revali was lucky, he could blame that on the person before him so he didn’t have to pay for it. 

“Do you need anything else, now?” Teba asked as he turned to face his son.

“Unless Saki has more things to sort, I think that’s it,” Revali replied, lowering Tulin despite his brother’s complaints. 

“We’ll be off then,” Teba said, clapping his son’s back once again. Saki came up to Revali, lowering him to her height to kiss his forehead. Then his cheeks. Then his nose--

“Ma!” He shouted, laughing. 

“I’m sorry,  _ mijo _ , I just love you so much. This part is always the hardest,” Saki said, rubbing her pink lipstick off his face. He smiled. He couldn’t be mad at her. This was his mom, after all, the woman who took him in when he was just a little shit in high school. “ _ Cuidate _ , okay,  _ Revalito _ ?

“I’ll be fine. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks when I’m free, I promise.” 

Saki nodded, finally letting him go. Teba was already holding Tulin, who had run off as Saki attacked Revali with her love.  _ That kid would grow up so spoiled _ , Revali thought as they waved goodbye. It was finally just him. Well, until his new roommate joined him, considering the second room was wide open. He only needed to wait. He plopped onto the couch, kicked his legs up, and waited. 

Revali was bored of waiting. If he knew his roommate would take so long, he would have put a movie on or left to get ready for the Welcome Rally. Hylia, he was not looking forward to that. At the very least, he hoped to say hi to his roommate before he disappeared. 

There was a small knock at the door. He lifted an eyebrow. The guy should have a key, shouldn’t he? He waited a moment, and then there was another knock, quieter than before. He groaned. Could his roommate not get in or was he already in trouble with a RA? He’d just have to find out, he mused to himself as he dragged his feet along the carpet. 

There was a stack of books in his face when he opened the door. 

“Uhm--” 

“Please help!” A tiny, polite voice squeaked from behind the books. He moved to open the door as the person ran in to place the books down, practically dropping them on his kitchen floor. He finally got to see his (apparently bookish) new roommate. It was a girl with a strawberry blonde who barely stood at his shoulders. She ran back out to drag in her own cart, but Revali blocked the doorway. 

“Hold on, is this your dorm?” 

The girl’s eyebrows scrunched, glancing at the number next to the door, “117 right? That’s my dorm number. Are you the RA?” 

Revali raised an eyebrow, “Uh no. This is my dorm.”

The girl’s face twisted into confusion as she reached for her phone in her pocket. A few clicks and she had her email open, shoving it in Revali’s face. Sure enough, the name Revali Arbor was right underneath what he assumed was her name, Mipha Trilly. 

“This must have been a mistake. My roommate’s name is Revali Arbor, is she here? I’m sure she can prove that this is our dorm.” 

“That’s…me.”

Mipha’s eyes went wide. She bit her lip as she glanced between Revali and her cart. Revali didn’t know what to make of this girl. He didn’t care if his roommate was a girl, in all honesty, it saved him the time to explain that he was gay to another straight guy, leading to that awkward “don’t hit on me” talk like last year. He could see how uncomfortable she was, fidgeting with her hands as she thought about how to handle the situation. Eventually, she shook her head, smiling up at him. It was clearly a fake smile, however. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Mipha Trillby,” she glanced around him at her books in the kitchen, “may I come in now to unpack?” 

Revali sighed, standing aside to let the girl pass. She nodded to him as she struggled with the cart, banging it against the frame just as he did. These things were so inconvenient, why they couldn’t get new ones was beyond him. He watched Mipha struggle to wheel the damn thing around her books down the hall, almost knocking everything down in the progress. He winced, hoping she wasn’t going to leave several dents, once again hoping he could blame it on the people before if it came to it. He rolled his neck, feeling a headache growing. 

He needed a smoke, and luckily their dorm with a backdoor. 

He slid the glass doors open, taking out his pack of cigarettes from his back pocket he was careful to hide from the front desk managers. He lit it, taking a long drag off of it as he listened to his new roommate curse behind him as she organized her things. He glanced behind him to see her trying to carry the stack of books, then deciding to slide him across the floor before the stack toppled over. She cussed loudly, before looking up to see him staring. She laughed awkwardly, waving. He saluted to her, turning around to once again take a long drag. This girl was...interesting to say the least. With all those books, he wondered what her major was. From her outward appearance, he couldn’t quite put a pin on it. She looked slightly hipster, what with her oversized sweater and a messy bun. Though that could be because she was small--

Revali shook his head. He needed to stop over analyzing every single person he met. Maybe he could just ask when she was done. He glanced around again to see her coming to stand by him, smiling at him. Fake, once again. This girl was, once again, interesting. 

“So what are you majoring in?” She asked before he could. He raised an eyebrow at her, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and pressing it to the bottom of his boot to put it out. He watched as her face contorted into something either of disgust or concern. 

“I’m between majors right now, I don’t feel like going into details. Just that freshman year wasn’t fun.” He said, then watched as Mipha’s face once again looked confused. 

“Is this not the freshman dorms?” She asked. 

“Are you new? This is the upperclassmen dorms, the freshmen get special dorm buildings down the street.” 

Mipha’s mouth opened then closed, her eyebrows furrowing together intensely as she thought. 

“I think the university said I’m a freshman, even though I took my genEDs last year at a community college. I’m supposed to be a sophomore, but…” her voice trailed on. She bit her lip, bringing her phone out to once again check if everything was correct. Revali didn’t have all day to figure out what grade this girl was, or if she was even in the right dorm. 

“If you got invited to the welcome rally, then there’s your answer. That’s for freshmen.” 

To that, she nodded, “Yes! That was on my to-do list as a freshman, that was why I was so confused.” She rubbed the back of her neck, “I guess I’ll just go to that. I don’t know what else to do today.” 

Revali shrugged. He checked his phone.  _ 1:37. _ Yeah, he needed to go or he’d be late. 

“Well, I’ll be back later. I have to run some errands.” 

He waved her off before she could say more, then left the dorm. 

\----

Revali was once again regretting everything that had led to this situation. He sat in the empty locker room, dressed up in a big furry mascot suit with the giant head next to him. 

The great Crimson Loftwing of Hyrule University. What a joke.

He knew why he did this, yet every moment in this costume made him regret it. He should have never gotten Uncle Kass to convince him to be a mascot...well, he says that, but he liked the free tuition that came with the job. Therefore, the outcast of Hyrule University would be the hyperactive mascot to hype up all the freshmeat of the school. The great thing about this rally is that the chancellor’s daughter was a freshman this year too, and he had no idea how the bastard would make a big deal about that. He just hoped he could get this over with as soon as possible. 

A knock on the locker room door told him that was his cue to head out. He took a deep breath, counted to ten, then put the giant loftwing head on. It still smelled of sweat from last year that he doubted the school even took the time to wash it during the summer. Gross. He jumped a few times and stretched, mentally preparing himself to put on his facade. He could do this. He  _ had _ to. 

\----

The freshmen absolutely loved him of course. The cheering of the audience always managed to fill him with excitement to keep this act going. As the freshmen filed out of the bleachers, it was easy to pick out his new roommate in the crowd. Awkward and by herself, she shuffled between everyone the best she could being only five feet tall. He couldn’t help it, he chuckled at her struggle. 

A hard pat on his back almost knocked the head off his shoulders and he had to catch it before it fell. He looked back to see the giant football coach Daruk, smiling wide at him as he guffawed. 

“Nice to see ya, Crimson Loftwing!” He shouted, once again patting the mascot’s back, “how was your summer?” 

Revali held two thumbs up, before making a heart with his hands. He’d have to wait until all the freshmen and faculty cleared out to really talk, for now, he couldn’t help but act like a Disneyland character. Daruk laughed, patting his shoulder. 

“I hope to see ya at the game next week, right, Loftwing?” 

The faculty always looked down on Daruk because he was a coach. The guy was smart though. He most likely knew Revali didn’t have the game schedule yet, so he hinted at when the game was the only way he could. He’d need to grab a schedule or remind Daruk to drop one off for him in order to remember which home games he needed to attend. Revali nodded at him, saluting at the large man. He smiled, leaning close to Revali. 

“I can’t stay to talk today. I have some new recruits I need to freshen up, I’ll be at the celebration in a couple of hours if you’re available?” 

He didn’t need to ask. Revali  _ had _ to be there to take pictures with the freshmeat. Really get into the school spirit once again after a few hours of rest. He only nodded and the coach smiled at him. 

“Great seeing ya then,” Daruk said before turning on his heel to leave the auditorium. Revali smiled. The coach was such a loud man. Revali didn’t mind, he was one of the only people who knew his secret besides his family, and so far he had kept it. He wasn’t a bad guy, just had his ditzy moments. Revali chuckled to himself as he backed up, ramming into someone. He spun around, ready to snap at whoever it was despite it being his fault, but froze. 

Of course. Chancellor Rhoam. The big man himself. 

The chancellor never liked him. He was strict, liked things a certain way, and Revali did everything in his power to do the exact opposite of what Rhoam wanted him to do. He had held a grudge against Revali every since he embarrassed him in front of the freshmen last year, doing a flip in the middle of his speech was one of Revali’s infamous moments, that he didn’t feel it would be right to repeat it in case he was escorted out by the guards. Luckily, he didn’t know who was in the suit, so Revali Arbor was safe. 

“Watch where you are walking, Loftwing.” Rhoam snarled at him. Revali bowed to apologize, though he wished he could piss in the man’s boot. However, it seemed Rhoam was in a better mood than usual. Revali crossed his arms, before seeing a smaller blonde girl next to the chancellor. He leaned over to get a better look. Right right,  _ this _ was Rhoam’s daughter, the princess of Hyrule U herself, Zelda. The chancellor had made such a big deal about his daughter coming, Revali figured he should do some deep diving. After some Facebook stalking, he found everything he needed to know.    


Zelda Hyrule, a graduate of Hyrule High School. Revali wondered if it was a family name since the world  _ Hyrule  _ was everywhere. For someone who is related to Rhoam, she seemed on the quieter side. Yet…

Revali held his hand out to her. She stared at him, her face twisting in disgust. He shook his hand, nodding to it to tell her to shake it. She smiled, taking his hand just as he shook it enthusiastically. She covered her mouth to laugh, Rhoam glaring at her then back to Revali.  _ Ah, there it is.  _ She was quiet because of her dad. He wondered how she would be like if they were on their own, or with  _ anyone _ else. That wasn’t important though, and Revali did not want to stay around Rhoam longer than he needed to. He pretended to check a watch on his wrist, before bowing and backing away with awkward finger guns. He watched Zelda once again cover her mouth to laugh as Rhoam groaned, turning to, what sounded like, scold her. 

Revali almost felt bad for her. 

\----

He once again hated his job. 

Revali could feel his legs starting to grow numb the longer he stood in the gym. He couldn’t leave though. He counted the long line growing that led out the door, all to take pictures with him. He couldn’t tell if these were all freshmen, or people just wanting to win a raffle prize on Instagram. Well, he couldn’t judge the latter. He felt himself growing more and more irritated the longer the night went on. The same power stance for every person, one hand around their shoulder, one as a thumbs up. He would change it up if they asked, if they didn’t, they got the default. He could hear some people complain when he did the same pose over and over, some he took the time to “accidentally” trip with his final fuzzy talon shoes. 

One guy made it at least a bit interesting by finally pushing Revali over the edge. 

The guy wasn’t the shortest, though the mascot’s fat head made it seem like he was below average. He had his long blonde hair back in a short paintbrush-like ponytail with odd side bangs hanging down. He was by himself, which was odd since most freshmen had at least two friends in each picture. Revali shrugged it off.

He was ready to get into his usual pose when the guy suddenly punched him in the beak. Revali fell backward, his head shaking violently in the mask as it bounced on the wooden floor. He sat up fast to see the guy surrounded by much taller guys all laughing and patting his back. The smaller guy looked uncomfortable, yet he was still  _ laughing _ . 

Revali stood up fast. He glared down at the guy who had punched him, whose friends were starting to back away, pushing him forward. Was Revali  _ really _ about to fight someone during a freshman celebration? 

He swung his fist at the guy, sending him flying back. Yes, yes he was. 

The guy’s friends helped him up, cheering him on as he got ready to swing another punch at the mascot. He didn’t, unfortunately, have the soft armor of the costume. However, when Revali punched him again, he held his ground, swinging his fist rapidly at the mascot.  _ That’s it. _

Revali tackled the guy, holding him down against the ground as he waited for faculty to show up. He smiled to himself in the suit, happy to have technically won the fight but-- the guy was laughing. Why was he  _ laughing? _ He was pinned to the floor in front of everyone by the school’s mascot  _ laughing _ . 

Okay, it was a bit funny. Revali just wished he could enjoy it from an outside point of view instead of being the guy on top of the idiot who started it. Tears from laughter were starting to build up in the eyes of the guy, and...why was Revali’s heart skipping a beat? Okay, he was lucky he was cute. The Loftwing mascot stood up, holding out a hand to the guy, who took it and shook it. 

“I’m...sorry about that,” he whispered to Revali, “It was a bet that I couldn’t get out of. I hope I can make it up to you?” 

_ What the hell was this guy on. _ Revali shook his head, the mascot's head threatening to fly off. He punched him, almost fought him, and now he was trying to be smooth about it? This was stupid, he was stupid, and Revali could feel his fist reeling back for another punch. 

“Alright kid, that’s enough,” Daruk’s voice was in his ear as he held his fist. The coach was glaring at the guy, “Link, don’t try to pull that shit again, got it?” 

Revali watched as the guy’s body language changed. Daruk was a scary guy, sure, but he seemed to have some type of authority over the guy, Link, was it? Revali squinted. Coach Daruk was the football coach, did that mean…? 

No, this kid was way too scrawny for football. 

Daruk threw his arm around Revali’s shoulders, leading him away. He could hear the laughter of the guy’s friends as he was escorted away. He scowled inside the mask. He wanted to turn around and fight all of them now. Daruk’s iron grip on his shoulder prevented him. Once they were out of earshot and in a locker room, Revali threw the mask off, letting it bounce away from the two men.

“That was  _ bullshit! _ ” Revali shouted, running over to kick the head. Daruk didn’t stop him, he let him kick the head into a pair of lockers, bouncing off it into his knees. He let out a trail of curses in Spanish as he punched a locker repeatedly, the gloves of his costume protecting his hands. Daruk sighed, shaking his head. 

“I’ve already told ya not to let people like them get to ya,” Daruk said, moving to pick up the head. He handed it to Revali, the sophomore deciding to throw it back to the ground. “You’re lucky it was me here and not Rhoam.” 

That calmed Revali down. He took a deep breath, pressing his head against a locker. 

“Whatever,” he said. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. 

“Rev, how have your grades been?” 

Revali scoffed, “Is it really the time for this?” 

“No, but I figured I should check in on ya.” 

He let out a bitter laugh, “I just want to go home. I’ve had enough for the day.” 

Daruk stepped back, scratching his scruffy white beard, “Alright, I’ll make up some excuse for ya. You make sure to check in with me every now and then, ya startin’ to worry me.” 

Revali shook his head, “Yeah. Alright.” 

He heard Daruk grunt before leaving the room to let him change. He once again kicked the head across the room. 

\----

His head was  _ pounding _ . Probably from being knocked to the floor earlier. He just couldn’t wait to get back to his room, smoke, and then pass out. They still had the weekend before classes started, he had time to try to recuperate before he had to stress about grades again. Well, unless he was summoned for mascot duties, but he doubted they needed him for anything else besides the first freshmen night. 

The cardholder beeped as he checked in, noticing how the desk manager eyed him in confusion. They don’t notice anyone but him, huh? 

Making his way up the elevator and down his hall, he could hear talking around the corner to his room. It wouldn’t be too much of an issue if it wasn’t his new roommate’s voice. He recognized RA Buliara’s voice as well, her voice lower than Mipha’s soprano. He froze, stopping to eavesdrop on the conversation. 

“Have you talked to him about changing rooms yet?” Buliara’s voice droned on, clearly already sick of having to help everyone, despite being a RA. Revali heard Mipha’s soft voice mumble something and Buliara grunt in response. He felt his blood boil. He already had to deal with a shitty freshman today, the last thing he wanted to deal with was his fake roommate. He spun around the corner, stomping up to them. 

“No she hasn’t talked to me about it yet,” Revali spat, pushing past Mipha into their dorm. He heard Mipha mumble again, then the door shut. 

“Did...did you hear that?” Mipha asked. Revali turned to face her. 

“I don’t care that you want to switch rooms, I would appreciate it if you didn’t act fake to my face.” He could feel his voice wobble in his throat. Maybe he wasn’t really mad. Maybe he was more pissed about the freshman from earlier. But he had found his outlet and he was sticking to it. 

“Revali, it’s not like that---”

“Oh really?” He towered over her, puffing his chest out slightly. He could see her trembling as he got closer to her. “So, instead of waiting to talk to me about it, you went to speak to the RA about it first?”

“I-I-I--” She was fidgeting. He waited for her to respond. She went quiet. He raised an eyebrow, leaning over to see her face. Oh. She was crying. He didn’t want to stop,

“I’m sorry, princess, did I hurt your feelings?” He said, patting her shoulder, “If rooming with a guy makes you uncomfortable, sorry to say but you’re not my type. I prefer, hm...men. Just don’t hit on me, and you can stay.” 

She looked up at him. Her eyes were puffy despite her cold scowl.

“As if I would ever date an asshole like you, even if I was  _ straight! _ ” The sudden shrill shouting took him back, and he backed away from her. She wiped her tears on her sleeve, “I thought  _ you _ were uncomfortable, so I thought you’d feel better if we switched rooms!” 

“Alright, munchkin, calm down--” 

“ _ Don’t call me a munchkin! _ ” 

An awkward smile crossed his face as he watched her continue to try to wipe her tears away. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she glared at him. 

“I’m...sorry.” He said, stumbling over his words, “I had a bad day. That was just the final straw I guess.” 

Mipha nudged his hand off. She continued to glare at him before sighing, looking down at her hands as they shook. He’s only known her for a couple of hours, yet he already got her to scream at him, as well as accidentally come out. He didn’t know what else to say now. He leaned down to her height, and she once again glared at him. 

“Rough first day, huh?” He snarked, a grin crossing his face. She smacked him with her snot covered sleeve and he screamed, pushing it off of him as soon as possible. 

“I’m going to bed.” She said, stomping off to her room. 

“What, no goodnight kiss? Would that help you feel better?” Revali said. She slammed the door shut. 

_ Nice one, Revali. _ This year was off to a great start. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! updates may be a bit slow this time around just warning you guys now, but i hope you guys enjoy so far!
> 
> some nice spanish footnotes
> 
> mijo - son  
> cuidate - take care  
> revalito - a play on word of revali and "regalito", which means gift in spanish


	2. Chapter 2

Revali walked through the late summer heat, 80s rock music blaring in his obnoxiously huge headphones. His class was across campus and he was already late, so he took every second to walk a little slower than usual to avoid going. 

His alarm had blared in his ear three times that morning, but he rolled over and ignored it until Mipha finally knocked on his door, asking him to turn it off as she was leaving. Her attitude towards him was...not the best after the incident on Friday. That Monday morning was the first time they had spoken. Even her asking him to turn off the alarm surprised him but seeing he had the loudest alarm known to man, he also didn’t blame her. She was the only reason he didn’t decide to miss the first class. Go figure. 

The walk was a nice change of pace, however. The campus had always been a beautiful place despite the annoying privileged kids who attended. Trees lined the sides of the trail he walked until it transformed into something of a parking lot, one of the buildings of Hyrule University towering in the distance, where his art class was. 

Climbing up the stairs of the two-story building, he heard something that sounded like panic running approaching him. He tried to ignore it, increasing the volume of his music until the running was practically ringing in his ears as he made it to the class. He looked over his shoulder to see the same bastard who had punched him in the mascot costume a couple of days ago. The guy was sprinting down the hall, his bag swinging in all directions behind him that could have killed someone. He slid to a stop right before he rammed into Revali, huffing as he tried to catch his breath. Revali slipped his headphones off, raising an eyebrow at him

“This is Art 101, right?” The guy asked. 

_ Sadly.  _ “Yeah,” Revali said as he opened the door to the class, the guy following close behind him. The entire class grew silent as they walked in, the professor turning to them with an annoyed look. 

“Well, nice of you two to join us.” The professor scoffed, “You’re lucky there are two seats in the back available for you.” 

Revali gave him a two-finger salute to the professor as he walked to the back of the class, the guy still on his heels. They sat at the only available table and Revali was silently cursing at himself for being late now. 

“Well as everyone heard before, I’m Professor Pikango. What are your names so I can mark you here.”

“Revali Arbor.” 

“Link Harker.” Right, his name was Link. Revali had forgotten. 

The class simultaneously turned their heads to face them, all eyes on Link. Whispers filled the room as they stared, and Revali watched as Link slowly tried to cover himself, arms wrapped around his waist as if he could disappear. Revali raised an eyebrow once again. Did this guy mean something? 

“Alright alright, it must be a privilege to have the prodigy quarterback in our class, but please focus on the syllabus I have planned,” Pikango said, his voice huffing in annoyance. Revali stared at Link, watching as his body unfolded as the class turned away from them, though the whispers continued. Revali wondered if this kid had some kind of social anxiety. That wouldn’t look good if he was the star quarterback. 

Revali could feel his eye twitch. That also meant he had to cheer him on during games. He felt his blood boil as he remembered the migraine that had happened the other night. 

“So your name is Revali?” Link asked, his blue eyes almost sparkling. Revali scowled at him, furrowing his eyebrows tight. 

“Yeah.” 

“My name’s Link, though I...suppose you already know that.” 

“Yeah.” 

Revali didn’t know how much Link would talk while Pikango did. He could feel an annoyed headache growing and he almost wanted to sneak away to have a cigarette. But he sighed, resting his elbow on the desk as Link hummed. The guy fidgeted with his pencil nervously, spinning it in his hands. Okay, it was easy to want to distract yourself while the only thing on the board was just a syllabus. Link turned to him again. 

“Is, uh…” his voice was barely above a whisper, “is your hair naturally that color?”

Is...is this guy  _ naturally _ an idiot?

“No. It’s dyed navy.” Revali tried to keep his voice low but he could feel his eye twitch returning. 

“What color is it naturally?” 

“Black.” 

“Oh. Cool.”

Link fell silent, once again fidgeting with his pencil. It was as if he was thinking of more questions to ask. Then his eyes traced up to Revali’s ears. 

“Were you born with those?” He asked, pointing to his ears. Revali’s mouth fell open in shock as Link looked down, whispering “fuck” under his breath. His ears were turning red. “Sorry, I meant, uh…” 

“No. I paid for these.” He answered, poking at his black industrial piercing as well as the two on his lobe. Link’s mouth made an “O” as he nodded, his eyes tracing over to them once again. 

“Did they hurt?” 

Revali frowned. He didn’t want to tell this guy how he had almost passed out from his industrial piercing like a little bitch. It wasn’t his fault, the piercer was an apprentice. That was the last time he would impulsively go to a tattoo parlor without researching who did what. 

“No, it felt as if they were tucking a flower over my ear,” Revali sneered but Link’s eyebrows furrowed, “Yes. It hurt.” 

“I’ve been wanting to get my ears pierced, but...y’know, football.” 

Revali did know. He didn’t care. But he was surprised to hear that this odd fuckboy jock wanted to get his ears pierced. Though, he did have to admit he would look attractive with studs. 

_ Shut up, Revali. _

He realized he had been a bit too silent, as Link was starting to look at him with a concerned face. He sighed, faking a smile. 

“I don’t think you should let a sport stop you from getting a piercing.” He mumbled, faking sympathy, “You could always get them between seasons.” 

He didn’t know how this guy managed to get him talking by being just an idiot. He almost wanted to congratulate him. He saw in the corner of his eye that the professor was glaring at them, but he ignored him. Link fidgeted with his side bang, twirling it through his fingers. Revali suddenly could feel his gaydar skyrocket through the roof of the classroom. 

“Yeah, I guess. I just…” he trailed off, switching from his side bang to the pencil in his hand, “I don’t know if my parents would be okay with it.” 

“Obviously they don’t have good taste,” Revali said before he could stop himself. Link snorted, a small smile slowly appearing on his lips. Revali couldn’t help it. He smiled back, though he didn’t know if it was fake or genuine. He still wondered how he went from hating this guy to making jokes. He didn’t  _ hate _ it, but he felt annoyed with himself. 

“If you two are done,” Pikango called out to them. Their heads spun to the front to see his arms crossed as he tapped his foot. Link’s face flushed a light pink once again as he awkwardly smiled. Revali rolled his eyes, frowning. “This next part is important, I suggest you pay attention.”

“Yes, chief.” Revali scoffed. He heard Link snort next to him. 

“Since I have a feeling the final will take a semester-long, I will assign it now so you may have all the time in the world,” Pikango explained. “You will be partnered with another person in class to create a mural together. It will be due by the end of the semester. And because you two seem so fond of each other, I shall assign you two to be partners.”

_ Wait what. _

Revali’s body froze up, but he tried to keep his face straight. He glanced at Link, who was smiling a bit but looked more confused than anything. He simply nodded to Pikango. He seemed too obedient honestly.

“What if I want to switch partners?” Revali asked. He made sure to fill his tone with sarcasm, though he tried to ignore the way Link’s face dropped a bit. Pikango laughed bitterly. 

“Maybe you should have thought about that  _ before  _ you decided to ignore me the whole class,” Pikango smiled, though it was a smile filled with annoyance. Revali clenched his fists under the table, but nodded. He looked to Link, giving him a half-assed smile as well. 

“Guess you’re stuck with me for a while,” he said, loud enough for Pikango to hear. He heard grumbling but ignored it as Link nodded. 

“Seems so. It’s okay, you seem cool.” Link said, smiling the widest and goofiest smile Revali had ever seen. He almost felt his heart skip a beat. Almost. 

“Glad  _ somebody _ noticed,” Gods he wanted a smoke break. His fake enthusiasm was starting to dwindle the longer the conversation continued. He needed to leave before he spontaneously combusted. Though he felt his luck may be on his side. He watched Pikango turn off the projector, huffing as he threw his syllabus papers down onto his desk. 

“The rest of you may choose your own partners, but I’m getting a headache so class is dismissed.” 

Everyone moved to leave, the sound of scooting stools and zippers filling Revali’s ears, irritating his growing headache. He stood up, almost too fast that his eyes started spotting, and he made a beeline to the door. He heard rustling and footsteps close behind, and he looked over his shoulder to see Link right behind him. 

“Why are you following me?” 

Link stood petrified, his eyes growing wide. He once again fidgeted with his hair. 

“I thought we should maybe exchange social media or emails, so we can keep in contact. Plus...my class is this way.” 

_ Great.  _ “I’ll give it to you as we walk. I need a smoke.” 

Once again standing by him, Revali could see that he was only a bit taller than Link. He walked fast, his long legs taking huge strides as he walked. Link took short strides, practically running after him, his bag shaking violently once again. Revali didn’t know how much he could stand this guy, but he needed to accept his fate. 

Checking the time, he snuck out of the building to around a corner out of view. The class didn’t start for another half an hour, he could have a smoke until then. Link stood next to him, eyeing him as he lit a cigarette and held it between his lips. Why he was being watched by this guy, he had no clue, but he could feel his headache almost instantly melt away after his first puff. 

“Why do you smoke cigarettes when vape pens are a thing?” Link asked, raising an eyebrow. Revali side-eyed him, blowing a huge cloud into the air. 

“I find these are more convenient considering cigarettes can’t potentially blow up in your face.” 

Link hummed, “Is one less expensive than the other?” 

Revali’s eye twitched. “I don’t know."

“So--”

Revali turned to face him, almost pinning him against the wall. He used what little height had over Link to try to intimidate him, but it didn’t seem to be working. Link only stared at him, looking more confused than scared. There was a chance that this guy was such an idiot that he didn’t feel fear. Revali sighed, moving away from him. 

“You ask too many questions, it’s giving me a migraine. If you want to walk together to class, shut up for at least five minutes, if you can even do that.” 

Link only nodded. He leaned against the wall, occasionally checking his phone, the keys clicking as he typed. Revali took a glance at his phone to check the time.  _ Shit. _ They needed to get going if they didn’t want to be late again. He stamped out his cigarette butt, before picking it up and throwing it away, walking towards their next class. Link followed close behind like a lost puppy. Gods, he even had puppy dog eyes, the more Revali thought about it. Wide and round, he could have gotten anything he wanted if he simply asked with those beautiful bright eyes. Wait--

He covered his face, groaning into his hand. This was too much for him already. The year had just started and he was already pointing out how much of a pretty boy someone was, even if the guy punched him the other night. It wasn’t romantic in any form, just an aesthetically pleasing  _ gringo _ who was following him around like an idiot. 

“Can I talk now?” Link asked, a smirk making its appearance. 

“Again with the questions?” 

“Again with the attitude?” 

He stopped, turning to Link. He was standing there with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. Revali wanted to be mad, but...that comment amused him a bit. He huffed, smiling back. 

“Alright, jockstrap, you have my attention. Are you always this snarky?” 

Link’s grin faded before his whole face turned a bright red. “N-No, sorry that was probably rude I’m sorry.” 

Annnd it was gone. Ugh. He rolled his eyes and moved on. 

At that point, Revali thought they would never make it to class. But they did, five minutes past the time. no one was there except for a tall woman reading a giant cookbook. And seeing all the pots and pans everywhere, he was reminded that this cooking class was way more serious than he thought it was going to be. 

It was because of  _ one _ incident yet Saki and Teba never let him live it down. He was younger, maybe around sixteen, and the two adults had just taken him in as their foster kid. Revali had somehow almost caused a fire in the kitchen trying to cook ramen, somehow forgetting water when planning to boil the noodles, dropping them into an empty pan, and unable to hear the clinking against metal because of his loud music. The high pitched ringing of the smoke alarm was what finally had him check his pan to see a plume of smoke rising from the pot, the smell of burned plastic and glue from the cheap dollar pack filling the air. Saki came running in soon after, Spanish rocketing out of her mouth faster than any race car as she tried to stop the fire while simultaneously checking if Revali was okay. She called to Teba, who came running in with the fire extinguisher they luckily kept near in a broom closet. 

Revali was not allowed to cook after that. Saki tried her best to teach him the best she could, but it never clicked with him. She felt that the best way for him to learn was as if there was a deadline attached. Yeah, that logic is a bit flawed, but it was something, he guessed. 

“Oh!” The woman, he assumed was the professor, exclaimed as she shut her cookbook. “I’m glad to see  _ someone _ showed up to the first day of class. Honestly, we’re almost at meeting time.” 

Revali snorted. He already liked her. 

“Well...since you’re early. I’m Professor Ashai. Please have a seat anywhere at any station. If no one shows up, I’ll just skim the syllabus and send you two on your way.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Revali said in a monotone voice, shuffling to the closest table, his new lost puppy following him close behind. He hadn’t brought his textbook for this class, but Link had come prepared, lugging his obnoxious bookbag with a  _ slam _ onto the table. He immediately started reading the basics of the class, nose practically grazing the pages as he read. Revali rolled his eyes, looking back at Ashai, who looked just as bewildered. 

Soon people started to file in, not enough to fill every station, as most stayed away from the pair to stay in their own friend groups. It was odd knowing he had been late to Art but early to Cooking. Almost ironic, considering this was only an elective while Revali considered Art for a major. 

“Now that everyone is  _ finally _ here,” Ashai said, rolling her eyes, “I’m Professor Ashai blah blah blah, I’m sure some of you should know. I’ll go over the syllabus.” 

As she spoke, Revali had no choice but to listen as his once talkative puppy was now ignoring the world around him to read a  _ cookbook _ . This guy was...weird. Revali side-eyed Link, watching as his blue eyes trailed each sentence of the book, freezing on the images of the plates. Either he cared way too much about cooking, or he had failed a cooking class and needed to pass. But why did Revali feel it was the former?

“Here’s the fun part, everyone,” Ashai said, slicing her chef’s knife through Revali’s thoughts. “All of you were smart to sit with your friends because that’s your new cooking group.”

Oh,  _ fuck _ off. 

Link looked up from his book to give Revali a small smile. Revali huffed, eyeing the rest of the room. Each table had at least four people while he was stuck with only Link. He grimaced as the professor caught his eye. 

“You two,” Ashai said, “I see that look on your face. The projects won’t be too hard so two people won’t kill you.” 

Revali nodded. This day was the  _ worst _ . 

They were dismissed soon after. Revali attempted to rush to the door again, but this time, Link grabbed his arm. 

“Hey, uhm...I didn’t get your email.”

Right. Revali gestured for Link’s phone. Gasping, he fidgeted with his pocket until he retrieved the phone. Revali hadn’t noticed before how cracked his screen was, glass scraping against his thumb as he typed his email address into the notes. He handed the phone back, brushing off his fingers in case glass had found itself lodged in his fingers. Pursing his lips, he gave Link a final nod as he ducked out of the room, booking it back to his dorm. 

\----

Revali leaned in his chair, feet kicked up onto his desk, inching away from either falling forward or backward. He eyed his bow on the wall. Huffing, he decided he wanted a closer look for old times' sake. He stood up, easily crawling his lanky limbs onto his desk taking in his Great Eagle Bow. He ran his fingers over the commissioned bow, how smooth it was under his fingers, taking in each detail the bowmaker had put into it.  _ Wow, _ did he miss archery. This bow deserved more than to sit on the wall as a mere decoration. Revali wracked his brain with his schedule, going through class times between mascot training and games. For the last two years, archery had overlapped with something on his schedule, maybe he could--

“Hey uh.” The sudden voice startled Revali. He slipped, plummeting to the hard carpet below with a hard thump. He groaned, sitting up and glaring at Mipha, whose hand was covering her mouth to silence her giggling. “I was-- just going to ask if I could play some music. It helps me study. Sorry for scaring you.” 

Revali rubbed his head. “Sure, whatever. Just don’t play it too loud. I don’t feel like getting a noise complaint.” 

Mipha absentmindedly nodded and left, cracking his door on her way out. It wasn’t long after that he heard...oh Hylia, is that who he thought it was? He sprang up, running to Mipha’s room, and swinging her door open. His roommate jumped in her chair, her golden eyes wide in shock. The record player on her desk spun, the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” himself blaring through its speakers. 

“That’s Elvis.” He said. Mipha furrowed her eyebrows, her expression saying “ _ Yeah? Duh?”  _ Revali continued, “You have a good taste in music.” 

Mipha sighed, “Thank you? I listen to a lot of vinyl. I...have other albums here if you want to take a look.” 

Revali could barely contain his excitement. He ushered into the room, following her gaze to the milk crate packed full of vinyl. He sat down, filing through each record she owned.  _ ABBA,  _ more  _ Elvis, Queen, Elton John _ ? How had he missed this lot she moved in? Though he supposed the shock of being roomed with a girl distracted him from overanalyzing her items. He thumbed through them until he found his favorite album amongst the others, the King’s greatest hits. It seemed she had multiple Elvis albums that made Revali’s jealousy grow. Geez. He didn’t need a record player. 

He ran his thumb over the cover. Nostalgia strung his heart as Mipha’s vinyl switched over, another famous song playing through their apartment. He smiled, letting himself drift back to simpler times. 

_ Revali stared at the odd round machine that towered over him. He ran his tiny hand over the surface to feel the smooth colorful lights. It suddenly changed to a blue and he jumped, before realizing the machine itself was switching the colors, not Revali.  _

_ “Papa!” He called over his shoulder to Kaneli, who was carrying their lunch over to their table, “What’s this?” _

_ Kaneli set their food down before gasping, putting his hand over his heart.  _

_ “Oh Revi, have I failed you as a foster parent for you not to know what this is?” Revali’s eyebrows scrunched but used to Kaneli’s joking manners, he simply nodded. The older man groaned, falling into a crouch beside Revali. “That, my dear boy, is a jukebox. It holds many types of music, even from some of the legends themselves.”  _

_ Kaneli dug through his pocket and pulled out a nickel gently placing it in Revali’s hand before pointing to the coin slot. Revali reached for it, barely tall enough for the slot, and Kaneli picked him up to let him reach. _

_ “What do you want to hear, my sweet boy?” _

_ Revali thought, before smiling _

_ “El...Elvis.”  _

_ He didn’t want to attempt at the last name, last time he had he had messed up, earning him one of Kaneli’s fancy “heart attacks.” _

_ “Ah yes, excellent choice.” _

_ Hound Dog filled the small diner, and the two spent this afternoon lunch nodding along to the classic rock and roll. _

Revali stood, gently placing the album back into its rightful home. Mipha stared at him, one eye raised as he made his way to the door. The memory of Kaneli pulled at his heart. He needed a moment to himself. 

“ _ Maybe _ I misjudged you.” He stated as he left. A small smile grew as he cracked Mipha’s door behind him. 

“You’re welcome to come and listen whenever you’d like!” She called after him. Revali froze. How was she so nice to him, despite how he treated her the night they met? Nevertheless, he smiled to himself. 

“I’ll consider it. Thank you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay now that i got two chapters out, updates will be slow from now on sorry guys ;;; but hey, leave a comment and kudos if you like what you see so far


	3. Chapter 3

Being first to class was always an odd feeling. The morning humidity dripped down the classroom windows, and Revali had to hold himself back from drawing a penis just to annoy Pikango. The professor eyed him, every pointed remark he could have said, peered through him with those dark stormy eyes instead. He gulped hard. Sure, he had pissed him off the last couple of classes, using Link as a clutch to be as obnoxious as possible.  _ Maybe _ it wasn’t the smartest idea to piss off the man his grades depended on, but Revali hated how pretentious he acted. He could tell this semester with Pikango would be a nightmare if they continued like this. 

As everyone started to file in and sit, Revali raised an eyebrow at the door. It was a minute until class started, and since Pikango enjoyed starting on the dot, he frowned at the idea of Link coming in late. He guessed he could come up with an excuse for Link. Though it wouldn’t be necessary as the boy rammed his full body against the door and ran to the empty seat next to Revali. He tried to fix his hair as he caught his breath, every loose strand fighting against his makeshift finger comb. Revali could feel Pikango’s glare on him as he watched Link, trying his best to ignore it. 

“Good job being late every day this week,” Revali hissed, rolling his eyes. 

“I swear to Hylia, it’s not my fault! My alarm hates me this week, if my roommate hadn’t woke me up, I would have slept for a hundred years.” Link whispered. Man, this kid was  _ dramatic _ . Revali was about to move on and focus on their project when he continued, “Coach Daruk would have killed me if I missed the first game of the school year.” 

Revali gripped his pants to stop himself from rolling his eyes again. Right, that was tonight. He glanced at Link in the corner of his eye. Every mannerism  _ screamed _ anxiety. His foot jittered, he tapped his fingers, his lips rough from biting-- okay stop looking at his lips _. _ The new prince of Hyrule University himself would be showing off his highschool skills to thousands of people, of course, he was nervous. He had to  _ impress _ those people on top of it. Which wasn’t going to be an easy feat. Revali remembered how last year the audience booed and cried when Groose the Mighty (or whatever his nickname was) played his last game. Link had to really leave a good ass first impression to be truly accepted at this University. 

This nervous wreck looked as if he couldn't impress even crickets. 

“Hey, uhm,” Link stumbled over those few words, biting his lip as he glanced at Revali. “I don’t even know if I’ll have time to work on our project this weekend. Would it be okay if...we met up  _ next _ weekend to work on it? I still have a game but, it’ll be an away game, nothing too serious.” 

He was right, it wasn’t too serious. Nothing Revali had to drag himself to, it would give them enough time to at least start on a sketch at least. Though he couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. 

“Already procrastinating, I see.” He grumbled. Not that he was going to work on it anyways. 

Link perked up though, already pulling his phone out. “G-Great! I’ll mark it on my calendar and I’ll email or text you, how’s that? It probably won’t be until late at night, just warning you.” 

“It’s fine. I’ll be up.”

“So it’s a date!” Link said, grinning ear to ear. 

For the rest of the Art class and the next, the two worked in almost complete silence as the professors lectured. Revali didn’t mind, but he could almost see regret sitting on Link’s face for the next three hours. 

~~~~

“I know I said it’s okay for you to play music, but this is a little much.” 

Mipha’s record player had made its home on the kitchen counter, blaring  _ Queen _ so loud Revali could hear it from down the hall. His roommate laid on the couch upside, singing  _ Somebody To Love _ offkey and flailing her arms as she played her air piano. 

He eyed the new rules whiteboard. A single strike sat by Mipha’s name from their first argument, as much as it was his fault as well. He could see that a strike was erased from his name too, the pathetic remains of a dry erase marker leaving evidence of Mipha’s short-lived anger. They both had established a three-strike system, and he debated if this would earn her a second one. He frowned, fighting the urge to start another pointless argument, and turned the volume down. That earned him a glare

“Mipha, the whole building doesn’t need to know how lonely you are,” Revali said, raising an eyebrow. At that, Mipha’s eyes went wide. Her face matched her hair as she flipped over, standing up to smack his hand away from her record player. 

“Why does listening to  _ Queen _ make me lonely?” Mipha asked. Revali’s frown grew. 

“You’re getting  _ way _ too into this song. You need to get laid or something so you can learn how to lower the volume.” He said, flopping onto the couch, kicking his legs up on the arm. He had a couple of hours to relax, why not spend them teasing his roommate. It seemed to be working. Mipha stood with her arms stuck at her side, face still blending in with her hair as she stammered. She hid her face in her hands, sitting down next to Revali and curling into a ball. 

“Shut up,” she mumbled. 

Revali patted her head, “Guess I’m right?” 

Mipha flew up. “ _ Maybe.  _ Not the laid part though, just-- why are you laughing?” 

Revali stifled a laugh, “Your face is still bright red. Besides, I’m surprised you didn’t come to college in a relationship like most people here. High school sweethearts or whatever.” 

Mipha buried her face in her arms. “ _ You _ should try coming from a small town where everyone knows you and your dad’s the mayor. No one wants to date the mayor’s daughter, especially since all the parents are scared of him. I haven’t even had my first girlfriend, it’s embarrassing.” 

“No, it’s not,” Revali said before he could stop himself. Mipha looked surprised about his sudden comforting words and he waved her off, leaning to pick up her phone.  _ Locked _ , of course. He held it out to her to unlock it and she gave him a suspicious face. 

“What are you doing?” Mipha asked, raising an eyebrow. Still, she unlocked her phone. She was a  _ bit _ too trusting, Revali thought, yet she still watched him with hawk eyes as he drifted through her  _ very _ organized apps in search of the store. Ah, there it was. Immediately, he typed in Lover’s Pond. 

“What is that?” Mipha asked again, leaning until she was practically on Revali’s lap. He hummed as he typed in what little he knew of her. First and last name-- actually, that was it. When he clicked to add photos, that was finally when Mipha snatched her phone back. 

“Okay okay, just tell me what you’re doing and I’ll do the rest.” She stuttered. 

“I’m making you a dating profile.” 

Mipha froze. “ _ Huh? _ ” 

“You said you’re lonely. Might as well make one, meet some new people while in college. No one knows the  _ mayor’s daughter _ here.” 

Mipha stared at her phone. Revali watched as her eyes darted around, reading each prompt. She sighed, and silently filled in the rest of the credentials before picking a profile picture. It was a generic one, sitting in a coffee shop and smiling at the camera, probably one she’s used on multiple social media. 

“Maybe choose more than one.” He mumbled before Mipha could press enter. She groaned. Opening a selfie album, she handed the phone back to Revali begrudgingly, eyeing his every move as he chose her pictures. Well, she certainly had a hint of personality with each picture. A beach vacation picture was good-- oh she’s hiking in this one, and this-- wow. Revali was impressed how many of these were perfect for her profile, he almost didn’t want to only pick five. However, he grabbed his favorites and plopped the phone back in her lap, seeing faces already appear on her dashboard. 

“What-- What do I do now?” Mipha asked. She picked up her phone and accidentally swiped right, the screen exploding with confetti as she got her first match. 

“Wow, so soon too,” Revali said smiling. “You got a match.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“It means someone likes you and wants to talk to you.” 

Mipha dropped her phone, “Wait that one was an accident, I didn’t even see her face!” 

Revali laughed, “Yeah uh, might want to say something or unmatch because it looks like you already have a message from her.” 

Mipha rubbed her face in dismay, picking up her phone off the floor. She flipped through a few more girls until she closed the app, mumbling under her breath about “how judgemental” this app was. Well, she wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t Revali’s problem anymore. 

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a missed call and message from Coach Daruk. He slid on the message. 

(3:56)  _ Hey, champ! Hope to see you tonight. If it’s alright with you, would you like to get dinner before the game? Lemme know -- Daruk.  _

Was no one going to tell him he didn’t have to sign his text messages? The proper grammar stood out from Daruk’s usual goofy attitude, it threw Revali off so bad he had to double-check he had the right number. Yep, the same guy. Must just be the phone. He clicked it close and went to his room to get ready, leaving a stammering Mipha on the couch. She would be fine for a couple of hours. He grabbed his backpack, hiding his underclothes for the costume in it, and left. 

~~~~

Daruk’s face was twisted in a state of shock, “Hey, Scout, are ya sure eating that okay before a game?”

The secret glutton of a mascot shoveled a huge scoop of his mint chocolate ice cream milkshake into his mouth, wincing as the brain freeze kicked in. Revali grimaced at the coach, nodding as he took another bite. 

“I do this before every game, I don’t plan on changing my routine for you.” He snarked, smirking. Daruk grinned wide, patting his back hard, causing him to choke on his drink. With a glare, he continued, “Anyways. What do you want?” 

Daruk’s smile faded. He scratched his white beard in thought, “I was told to pass on the routine from the new head cheerleader since ya don’t talk to her yourself.” He opened his phone, pulling up the video, and letting it play. It was a bit complicated. Nothing Revali couldn’t handle, though of course, he could make up his own routine, and the crowd would go wild. It wasn’t worth pissing off Ilia though, she had the attitude of a feral wolf and he was glad she would be graduating early this semester. If he had to get yelled at in front of everyone one more time, he might take off his head and scream back. Revali only hoped her replacement was someone  _ smarter _ . 

“Thank you, Daruk. I appreciate you doing this for me.” His words were drenched with sarcasm, though they both knew he was genuine. Hiding the fact that he was the mascot wasn’t easy, but having Coach on his side made his life easier. The big guy himself smiled wide again, reaching to grip his shoulder. 

“It’s no prob, Scout. There was something else I needed to talk to ya about, though--” He was cut off by the waitress coming over to ask about the check. Daruk waved at her, handing her his card quickly so he could continue, “It’s about your grades, Rev...I know I warned ya about this before, but you have to be careful. I don’t want ya kicked off--”

“They  _ can’t! _ ” Revali raised his voice, catching a few eyes from other customers. He glared at them before lowering his voice, “I’m the best damn mascot this university has had in years. If they kicked me off, they would risk losing so many fans.” He tried to hide the satisfaction in his voice. 

People hated him outside of the outfit. He was an outcast, bullied by the uptight jocks who picked on whoever they could. But on the field, he brought in more and more people every week. Revali could feel his ego breaking through the ceiling as he thought about it, and Daruk had to snap him out of his train of thought snapping in the mascot’s face, wiping the smug smile off his lips. 

“I know, kid, but still. You won’t be a college mascot forever, and I know ya hate this job. Ya gotta start thinking about your future, scout--” 

Revali stood from his chair, legs scraping against the floor with a sharp  _ squeak!  _ His ears were burning as he pinched the bridge of his nose, scowling as a stress headache began to form. He didn’t need  _ anyone _ right now to tell him what he needed to do. Besides, anger wouldn’t help keep the routine memorized in his head. He sighed, dropping back into the chair. 

Daruk gave him a soft smile. “Sorry, scout. I didn’t mean to give ya a hard time, I’m just worried.”

“I don’t need you worried about me. I’m fine.” The waitress finally returned with Daruk’s card and the two stood up. Revali refused to meet the coach’s gaze, but the man ruffled his hair. Cold eyes met Daruk’s, full of warmth and confidence, and he relaxed. “Let’s go. I need a smoke break anyway.”

~~~~

Link’s whole body shuddered as he heard the crowd cheering from the locker room. He wished he was in the audience, watching the Loftwing hyping up the stadium up instead of the one everyone was waiting for. His throat was tight, nerves were jittery,  _ relax Link relax-- _

“First game nerves?” A large hand slapped his shoulder. Teammate. Someone he hadn’t learned the name of yet. Or had he? Anxiety was playing with his brain so much he could only nod, a shaky smile forming on his lips. His teammate sat down next to him, holding his hand out to him. “Name’s Fugo.”  _ Ah, _ so they haven’t formally met. 

Link shook his name, “I’m Link.”

Fugo let out a hearty laugh, “Everyone knows your name, brother! Besides, no need to be so formal.” he gestured to the rest of the locker room. Half the team was there, others in the girls’ locker room, but it was enough to set Link’s nerves on fire as everyone turned to him. “We’re your new family. And we’re here to support ya out there. So breathe for me, mate.” 

Link nodded. He took a deep breath, his whole body shaking as he exhaled, and Fugo stood up, satisfied. 

“I’ll be out on the field. Take ya time, brother, game can’t start without you so I doubt they’d be mad if you were a bit slow.” 

Oddly enough, that  _ wasn’t _ reassuring, but Link smiled regardless. He didn’t think it was smart to stay in that stuffy room for any longer, however, so he threw his helmet on and left. 

Revali sat on the bench, out of breath and drenched in sweat from dancing.  _ Dammit, _ he wished that the Loftwing head wasn’t as stuffy as it was. He waterfalled water into his mouth through the beak, only successfully drenching himself more with barely anything entering his mouth. Well. Better than nothing. 

He felt eyes on his back and he spun around, almost smacking a girl in the face with his beak. She stumbled back in time to avoid his attack, swatting him in fear. 

Oh. It was Zelda. Wait, _ what. _

The princess of Hyrule herself was in a cheerleading outfit, her hair tied back in a tight ponytail with the obnoxiously bright gold and green colors of the university covering her outfit. She stared at him, head cocked to the side in confusion as she examined him. Then she patted his open beak awkwardly. 

“I don’t think we’ve met yet, Loftwing,” Zelda said. “Gonna guess by how you just poured water on yourself like an idiot, you hate this job as much as I hate being here.” 

Wait. How did she read him so easily? 

“Thought so,” She said, taking his frozen stance as an answer. “Well. We can be in this together, how does that sound?” 

Revali had no idea  _ why _ she was talking to him like this and he had the right to shut her down, but seeing how she also hated being at the game as a cheerleader made him feel...an odd sense of sympathy for her. 

The Loftwing extended his arms, waddling towards her to pull her into a hug. She reciprocated, giving him a quick hug before mumbling about having to return to her team, and jogged away, leaving Revali with a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

_ “Alright Hyrule, are we ready for tonight’s game?!”  _

Revali was  _ officially _ on shift. As the announcer’s voice echoed through the field, the crowd screamed, enough to make his ears ring. Revali started to jog to face his audience once again only to be knocked to the ground by someone running  _ way _ too fast to be just exiting the locker room. He angled his head to see his attacker. 

_ Of course.  _ Link was laying on top of him, groaning and rubbing his head. He stammered out an apology as he sat up. His eyes grew wide with fear. 

“L-Loftwing!” Link could barely form a sentence, let alone stand on his own two feet as he crawled off all fours. He was still shaking like a small dog as he had earlier in class, though Revali had a feeling this time it was because of embarrassment. The crowd laughed as the two stood staring at each other, Link’s face growing as red as the Loftwing’s costume by the second. Revali sighed. 

He held out his arms as he did with Zelda. Link froze, but eventually shuffled into Revali’s arms, mumbling to himself about how embarrassed he was. Revali didn’t care. He simply patted his head before sending him on his way. Link turned to wave to him, tripping over his own cleats and flying forward into his huddle of teammates. 

_ What an idiot. _ Revali prepared himself to hype the audience up for a losing game.

~~~~

Well. That was unexpected. 

As clumsy as Link was at the beginning, all his focus went into the game. He worked in silence, running through and toppling people twice his height, carrying most of the team through victory. They won by a landslide, the Loftwings having a score of forty-seven to  _ seven _ . Revali could only watch as the tiny quarterback strutted his way back to the locker rooms, but not before stopping to flash a smile and wink at him. His stomach fluttered. 

Was he annoyed or flattered? He couldn’t tell. Even with his attempt to distract Link, waving and cheering for him, it was no use. If anything, he had been gifted with that winning smile as the idiot ran across the field, throwing a thumbs up at Revali as he gained them a touchdown. For someone who had the natural talents of a pro, Link was the most humble quarterback he had ever seen. 

“Hey--” Revali jumped, spinning around so fast his costume’s head almost flew off. Link stood there, already dressed in casual clothes with a gym bag thrown over his shoulder. How long had he been standing there thinking? 

“I just wanted to say, I’m-- I’m sorry again for running into you. I’m not making the best first impressions, am I?” 

_ No, you’re not _ . Revali thought. He shook his head and shrugged in response. The tension between them was...unbearable. He contemplated just going in for another hug to ease it, as much as he didn’t want to, but a skittish smile crossed Link’s face. 

“Do you...I don’t know, I can buy you something from concessions to make up for it? I know they close soon before the game but my teammates and I get free stuff if we beg, that’s how we survive Coach’s practices so I doubt they would mind. What do you like, I’m sure there’s a candy there you might like--” 

Hylia, this guy does  _ not _ shut up when he’s nervous. Revali shrugged again, nodding towards the stand. If Link stealing him a bag of candy will shut the guy up, he would let him steal from an entire factory. 

Despite how nervous the concessions guy was, stating he thought Link was one of the Goron frat brothers, he managed to get them free slushies and candy that Revali couldn’t drink through the head anyways. He frowned to himself, shoving the candy away and he attempted to sneak away to the locker room. Except--

“Hey, where are you going?” Link asked. Revali managed to get at least two feet away before he noticed. He sighed, signaling that he had to leave. Link nodded, but Revali didn’t miss the disappointment on his face. 

“Oh, uh...okay! I’ll see you next game then? Maybe we can hang out afterward!” Link said. He smiled before running off, waving back to Revali multiple times. 

_ Yeah, right.  _

The ride home was pleasant enough once he had changed out of that sweaty suit. He tried to sneak into his dorm as quietly as possible, hoping Mipha was somehow asleep at nine at night. As soon as he entered, however, he was dragged over to the couch by the small girl, who was hyperventilating.

“I messed up.” Mipha wheezed. Revali couldn’t manage to get a word out before she shoved her phone in his face. “Look who I’ve been stuck on for hours!” 

“Zelda?” Okay, he was surprised to see that she was looking for girls to date. “What’s the issue? If you like her, swipe right.” 

Mipha sat back. She shoved her face in her hands, her screams muffled by the palms of her hands. 

“I can’t swipe on her. Getting rejected by her would destroy me. But I can’t reject her either! She’s really pretty--” Before she could say anything else, Revali leaned forward and swiped right on Zelda’s profile. Mipha screamed. She pulled her phone away as quick as she could to see--

_ You got a match!  _

“Well, would you look at that?” Revali said. 

Mipha’s face turned as red as her hair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate writing sports yet here we are <3
> 
> my tumblr is @dualityoftoad if anyone wants to chat!


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